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Burnt Rubber: Tarek Fahmy’s MK5 GTI

Photos & Words via Alec Lessard
Being a part-time student, sometimes tight money situations that make it tough to build cars to their fullest potential. The first time I saw Tarek Fahmy’s 2007 Volkswagen GTI, my eyes immediately went to the overall feeling of completion that he was able to achieve with his budget.Tarek has always been trying to push his own personal limits which often times reflects into the cars he builds. Daily driving his GTI slammed on coilovers year round took a bit too much of a toll on his spine so he moved to a more practical approach to looking good.His first move when picking up this MK5 was upping its aesthetics via a Jetta front-end swap with Votex front lip. Tarek’s next move was to continue the polished look that the Jetta front grille offered on each corner of his ride. A set of 17×9.5″ front and 17×10″ rear fully polished OZ Futuras saw the overall appeal of his car jump tenfold.Seeing an opportunity approaching, Tarek quickly pounced on a set of Air Lift XL Slam Series front and rear air ride kit and mated it to an AccuAir E-Level management setup which offered him a more convenient way to drive around town.Midway through the summer of 2013, Montreal native Tarek decided to take a drive down to Vermont to get a complete burgundy rubber wrap overhaul from Rubber Wrap Jay.Finding a nice spot down by the Ottawa river on a chilly autumn day, Tarek and I got together to not only photograph his ride, but to revisit all the great summer memories he had built with his ride.Unfortunately mother nature ended the photo session early with the first huge snowfall of the season, but luckily we were able to capture the little spot of sunshine that was his MK5 GTI.